Simchalan Coast

The coast of Simhachalam faces the Bay of Bengal beneath the hills of northern Andhra. On the heights stands a temple to Varaha Narasimha, a form of Vishnu, built in its present form under the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Farther along the shore, Visakhapatnam was a fortified trading town. Ships anchored offshore while small boats carried cargo across the surf, linking the coast to merchants from across the sea.